Pages

Monday, September 9, 2013

HIGH OLD TIME

In a campgroundsomewhere in Utah(memory fades)setting up my tentsome older folksoccupying the adjacent spacewith a big RVlooked like a couple of married couplesand "Mother"likely in her eightiesalong for the ridesitting aroundboozin' it up andhavin' a high old timeconvivial conversationand laughingso much laughingringing through the pinesTheir own privateMargaritavilleAnd I thought good for themthey're happy, manwhile simultaneously rememberingsome statistic about alcohol abusebeing rampant among the senior populationand I thoughtwell who has a better reasonya knowdon't need to explain thatdon't need to explain it at allsuffice it to saythat for a few hoursmaybe they were able to forgetor even forgiveWatching the cold stars emergeit was time to turn inThen sometime during the nightmust have been about 2 a.m.there was a commotionover in the RVand someone said"Mother fell"and disoriented voices repeated itMother fellProlly trying to make her way to the head in the darkbut you could tell it wasn't goodAnd then the ambulance was on its wayto come and collect hertheir idyllic forest getawaysoon to be a rude awakeningof glaring emergency room lightsthat nice rosy glowof a few hours backnow fadedlike a long ago dreamof happily ever after

I'm sorry I missed this yesterday, Tim. The experience you recount here rings with authenticity, and it is such a bitter-sweet tale. The statistics concerning use of alcohol in the elderly is rather sobering, and such a humane view is presented here of the reasons why, and the sometimes tragic consequences.

BRIAN: When we become party to someone else's drama, we would often like to follow up-- like a soap opera, and see what happened next-- but the reality of life is that most people drop in and out of our lives in just this manner, leaving us to speculate and reflect...and perhaps to write a poem.

Timoteo, this one broke my heart. Like so many times with my family that started off well and ended up hell... The saddest part is that it was most likely an accident and she probably (prolly, I say that too!) broke her hip, and they'd brought her all the way out on a camping trip. Shit.

I'm an oldie myself, whose spontaneous fractures cause falls. I don't know many who over-indulge,and I have no head for alcohol, so mostly avoid it. But I can get high on party spirit, and your lovely scene would suit me just fine.

About Me

This site is a labor of love. My real job is: ASSISTANT TO THE ASSISTANT TO THE ASSISTANT SPITTOON CLEANER. It's an honest living, and I have a lot of time to think and write while waiting for the head spittoon cleaner, and the assistant spittoon cleaner, and the assistant to the assistant spittoon cleaner to call in drunk, which gives me my chance to really SHINE!

MY INTERVIEW--IMAGINARY GARDEN WITH REAL TOADS

MY INTERVIEW--POETS UNITED

LENNY BRUCE DIED FOR OUR SPEECH

Lady Gaga without the bizarre costumes and makeup. Who knew?

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed

It's a funny thing. I noticed that when people are joking they're usually dead serious, and when they're dead serious it's usually pretty funny. So actually I think that anything you say means exactly what you say and its opposite.--Jim Morrison

All murderers are punished, unless they kill in large numbers, and to the sound of trumpets--Voltaire

In the night you hide from the madman you're longing to be--Steely Dan